


A Paladin

by Mello_Drama_Reborn



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Boulevardshipping, Fantasy AU, Gen, RPG AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 16:38:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5547599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mello_Drama_Reborn/pseuds/Mello_Drama_Reborn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Silver desperately presses the gash in his arm against his chest, praying to gods he doesn't believe in that he won't bleed a trail for the guild to follow. Pain throbs through his body with every labored stride he makes, his broken body moving on the strength of his desperation alone. Snow wets his long bangs and pools with sweat to trail down his face, and the feeling makes him remember the trail he's leaving in the snow behind him, the phantom footprints churning paranoia in his gut. Catching sight of cover, he launches himself into the thick foilage, snow falling from its branches to disguise the sharp crimson of his hair.<br/>The pounding of his pulse in his ears sounds like the footsteps of his pursuers pounding after him, and his eyes dart around for a sign of hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Paladin

Silver forced his ragged breath quiet as he peered through the snow covered bushes. He couldn't believe his luck- on the road just ahead was a single, lonley traveler. Silently drawing his knife, the idea that he might make it through this day alive filled every muscle in his body with the need to spring, but experience made him wait, wait until the traveler was nearly standing over him, and then he leaped.   
And then, it was dark.

 

Silver's eyelids felt like lead as he came to with a groan, his body reluctant and drumming with cold as he tried to push himself up.

"Ah- you're awake now?"

An unfamiliar voice above him finally motivated him to open his eyes, and as the fuzz made its way out of his vision, he felt his heart stop as he recognised the traveler from the road.  
"Stay still, okay? I'm still not sure what kind of damage you have." Before his warning was finished, Silver had already started pushing himself up, but the blond above him pushed him roughly back onto his back before he could get away, his friendly tone hardening slightly. "Do you have hearing damage too? I'm going to heal you! Now stay still, you clumsy thief!"

Clumsy? Silver tried to summon the strength to retort, but he didn't manage much more than a growl before the boy put his hands on him and, freezing the air in his throat, began a spell that caused them to shine with a pale green glow.  
Silver waited for the feeling of strength flowing back into him, but instead the traveler let out a wince, and Silver's eyes raced to meet gold ones as pain showed plainly on his features, strain lingering even as the glow of his hands faded, and something about it pumped adrenaline through him, enough to give him the strength to speak.

"What the hell was that!? I didn't feel you heal anything!"

"Relax," the other boy's voice was dry, suddenly, the change shocking Silver into compliance, "it was just a diagnostics spell, so I'd know what I was doing." Strength began to return to his voice as he relaxed, sociable smile returning impossibly to his face. "And it's a good thing I did, too- you're hurt way worse than I thought! You have a least two broken ribs, along with several bruises and a pretty deep gash in your arm. You're probably numb to it by now, but you're in a lot of pain." His smile faltered again with the memory, as he hurriedly added "I wasn't really braced for it, is all. I'll be able to patch you up."

"Why are you doing this? I attacked you." 

"Yeah, and jumped straight into my shield." Silver started to growl again at the note of humor in his voice, but it died in his throat as the other's hands began to glow again, now an icy blue, this time filling him with the warm glow of energy he expected. "I'm not about to leave someone obviously injured to freeze out here." 

"....I'm not giving you anything in return. I never asked you to heal me."

"Believe me, I'd love to charge you, but part of my paladin oath is to tend to the weak and wounded, so I'm morally obliged to do this. Just don't rob me after?" Silver wanted to object at the word "weak", but as he was about to, relief began pouring through his body, and even with the snow he was laying on already numbing him, the amount of pain receding from him filled him with a new wave of fatigue. The paladin seemed to notice his relief, shooting him another smile. "I'm surprised you even tried to attack someone in this condition- you must be as stubborn as I am." Once again the glow began to recede, the paladin letting out a satisfied breath that clouded in front of his face. "Now, are there any injuries I didn't catch? There was a lot, so I might not have noticed everything."

"Who are you?"

"The guy you tried to mug, now answer my question or I'll have to run diagnostic on you again." 

".... I think that was everything." 

"Good!" He straightened to his full height, looking over Silver before offering him a hand. "I'm Pearl. Can you get up?" 

"I can get up fine!" Silver tried to push himself up, but the second his numb limbs wobbled Pearl grabbed him by the wrist and heaved him to his feet. Once he was up, Silver broke his hand away, beginning to brush snow off himself as he glared at the ground with restrained frustration. 

"... I'm Silver."

"Nice to meet you!" Silver almost commented on how wrong that sounded in the current context, but Pearl was already glancing down the road and starting a new train of thought. "Now, I can't formally invite someone who explicitly breaks the law to join me, but I can at least escort you to town." Silver was about to cut him off when Pearl beat him to the punch. "Even if you're healed now, I'm not going to leave you alone out here- besides, I'm headed there anyway, and it's better not to go alone."

"Says the one who was doing just that."

"And that's why you attacked me, right? All the more reason to have someone along!" The was humor in his voice, but a hint of seriousness slid onto his features as he looked over Silver again, as if seeing the ghosts of his injuries. "Besides, you were running from someone, right? Let me escort you." 

His comment sent Silver silent again, and he was growing increasingly frustrated that he could never get a word in edgewise. 

 

The journey was awkward. Silver wasn't used to being out in the open, pale eyes constantly darting towards cover, and the sound of Pearl's constant chatter set him constantly on edge even when he was probably trying to relax him. 

"You're right, though, it's kinda dumb of me to be journeying alone." Silver gave him a narrowed eyed glance, not caring what he was saying, but too practiced on listening to his surroundings to ignore him. "It wasn't my idea- I wanted to start out with my friend, but he got it in his head that we should compete- found rival guilds and try to out-do each other." He let out a sigh, and Silver wished he could be anywhere besides listening to this stranger's half-hearted backstory. "So now I'm running around on my own trying to gather strength so I can keep up with him."

"They have places where you can get guild members- people are always looking."

"Yeah, but if I pick up just anybody, how will I know if they're any good!?" Pearl glanced back at him, and Silver looked away, wishing he hadn't thought to respond. "I want my partners to be decided by.... By fate! Like us!" He added the last bit with a cheesy grin, and Silver put on a scowl.

"You already said you couldn't journey with a thief."

"I know, I know, it's just a joke!" 

He laughed again, and the sound grated at Silver even worse than the feeling of being in this idiot's debt. He couldn't understand what was going through this person's head, and it put him on edge- what kind of idiot offered to escort someone who tried to mug them to town? Unless he was trying to keep him in sight so he couldn't be ambushed again, but then how was he so relaxed? What did he think he was going to get by showing him kindness he didn't deserve? 

"....Are you 'morally obliged' to laugh with your enemies as well?"

Pearl's eyes widened in surprise, and then he laughed again, giving Silver the urge to grit his teeth. 

"No, I don't have to, but..." Something happened to his smile, something Silver wasn't familiar enough with expressions to decipher. "Well, I guess I can say this, since you're a stranger. I've been traveling alone for a while, so I'm just glad for the company. I guess I've been a bit lonely." There was a dip in his voice, and Silver could read voices more easily than expressions- it was sadness, and Silver wondered how he could seem both happy and sad at the same time, as the sound lingered into another laugh. "Forgive me for assuming, but I'm guessing you just left the thieves' guild, so maybe you don't get what I'm talking about yet."

"I can survive fine on my own! Anyone who has to depend on others is weak!"  
Silver gritted his teeth- it was the second time the paladin had been right about him, and it was just another reason for him to feel uneasy. He wasn't supposed to be easy to read, and the last thing he wanted to be while he was on the run was an open book- how could this idiot know so much about him when Silver couldn't figure him out at all?  
Pearl only laughed at his outburst, and again the sound made him cringe- reminded him that he still wasn't alone, and he hated the feeling of being visible. 

"Well, it certainly is harder on your own, I'll give you that." He looked ahead, the sadness relaxed out of his expression. "But I don't think that makes it anything to brag about- and it certainly isn't smarter than being in a group. Anyway," he slapped Silver's back, making him jump at the sudden contact, "we'll reach town soon, so take care of yourself, okay?" He grinned back at the scowl Silver gave him, starting to walk backwards to face him. “And another thing, I don’t consider you an enemy.”

Silver avoided his gaze, instead looking ahead, easily spotting the town gates looming in the distance. His frown deepened, frustrated thoughts swirling in his head.

 

He didn't say anything until they reached the gates- might not have said anything even after if Pearl hadn't looked at him with that same look, that mixture of sadness and happiness- and no, it was more like reluctance- a reluctance to part ways, a pitiful reluctance to be alone again despite who he was parting from. It's not like he'd been anything but trouble since they met, not like he'd been particularly good company.

"Hey..." Pearl stopped at the sound of his voice, and Silver wasn't sure what to think about how quickly he had turned to leave. "You said you wouldn't take on a thief, but... What if I switched classes?" 

Pearl's face lit up instantly, and Silver knew he didn't deserve that, hadn't deserved a single crumb of this person's attention since the second he fell unconscious against his shield. 

"You mean... You want to join my guild!?" 

"I never said that!" He was burning under the light of that smile, his face was heating up and how could a person drive him so crazy in so little time? "People who have to depend on others are weaklings! It's just that I was going to change anyway, and you've apparently managed to make it on your own for a while, so..."

Pearl grinned, eyebrows raising.

"So you mean... You're going to depend on me for advice? Like a weakling?"

"Look- would you take me or not!?" Pearl's eyebrows lifted higher, and Silver felt his face burn hotter. "A-As a guild member, fine, what's that smirk for?!"

Pearl looked fit to burst with laughter at Silver's embarrassment, but the last addition seemed to be enough to stitch him together. 

"Alright- I believe anyone can change." He managed to look somewhat valliant despite the laughter still reddening his cheeks, and Silver scowled, barely believing what he had done. There was a short silence, with Pearl still grinning at him expectantly, and Silver awkwardly kicked a pile of snow, turning away. 

"Whatever, I'm going to go change classes... Where should I meet you?" 

Pearl's eyes lit up again, as if it was still sinking in for him as well, and the stupid smile he gave him didn't leave Silver's mind the whole time he was switching classes and buying new equipment. 

 

Pearl's eyebrows raised as he spotted Silver approaching their meeting spot. 

"A warrior, huh?"  
Silver squirmed under his gaze as he looked him over, Pearl's expression turning critical.  
"That armor isn't much better than your thieves' garb. Did you spend all your money on that big sword?" He leaned to get a better look at the sword on Silver's back, beginning to mumble. "I wonder if you could even keep that up in a fight..." Silver bristled under his gaze, his hand almost reaching to where his knife belt used to be before moving to the handle over his shoulder. 

"You wanna test that!?"

Pearl got up from his bench, and Silver felt his muscles tense as his eyes raised to stay level with his. 

"Not while you're in that armor I don't." He smiled, and Silver felt the tension leave his limbs at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, starting to turn him back the way he had come. "Come on, I'll get you something."

"What!?" He raced out of Pearl's grip, running behind him to force him to turn around. "No- you're not doing anything else for me!" 

"Nuh uh, as guild leader, I'm responsible for arming my members." He lunged for Silver's wrist, forcefully dragging him towards the armory. "Besides, you're my first member, so I get to spoil you a little!" Silver tore out of his grip again, and this time Pearl crossed his arms, humor falling from his face. Silver couldn't help but tense at his sudden change in mood, and Pearl fixed him with a long stare before speaking. "Look, if you're not properly armed, then you're only going to slow me down."  
They stared at each other for a while, and eventually Pearl relaxed, grabbing his wrist again more gently. His smile slid back onto his face, and his free hand reached into his bag to reveal a small knife. "Besides, I'm not paying for all of it- we're going to sell this to front part of the bill." 

"What the-" Silver's hands flew to the belt he was no longer wearing, but even without confirmation, he knew, "that's my knife!"

"What, do you think I just let you hold onto it while I waited for you to wake up? It'd be pretty bad if you woke up to a stranger looming over you and decided to let survival instincts kick in." 

Pearl grinned, twirling the stolen weapon between his fingers.

"You- you almost left with that!"

Pearl only shrugged, stowing the knife away again. 

"I forgot! Though, it says good things about you that you never noticed it was missing." His grin only grew as he pulled Silver back into the armory, the latter fuming in his grip. 

 

Silver couldn't help but glance over at Pearl's equipment as he waited for him, the knife and cheaper armor in hand, to barter down the price of a better model.  
Pearl's armor was as white and pearly as his namesake, with a long shield at one arm and a mighty sword at his back. Silver wondered what kind of haggling he'd done to get his hands on it, as he struggled to hear himself think over the heated arguing at the counter. 

"I'm surprised you chose the warrior class, though." Pearl turned to him as the defeated shopkeeper took down the armor Pearl had demanded. "It was my first class, actually." He let out a laugh at Silver's look of surprise, quickly glancing back to take the armor and slide the gold and bartered items across the counter. "You didn't think I started adventuring all excited to join the order, did you?" He pressed the armor to Silver's chest, and Silver snatched it away, starting to put it on himself. Brushing away his hand, Pearl started to help him with the buckles on his sides. "Wanna know why I switched?"

"A sign from god?"

"Nope! It’s because I sucked."  
Silver stiffened as Pearl clicked the last clasp into place.  
"I could barely gain ranks in that class- I lost to pretty much any gang of more than two people, and even if I won, I'd lose to anyone who caught me after." Stepping back to check that everything was in order, he started to laugh at Silver's mortified expression. "Don't worry, you'll do fine! It's just that I was alone, and the Warrior class is really dependant!" Silver's face only fell more, causing Pearl to bend over with laughter. 

"....Y-You were just weak!" Silver started to draw his sword, making Pearl have to stumble back to get out of range. "I'll show you how much stronger I am! You promised me a match, Pearl!"

"Did I?" When he met Silver's gaze, his smile was edged with adrenaline. "Fine, I'll teach you about the warrior class and humility at the same time!" Silver shot him a challenging sneer, and Pearl took a step back towards to door. "Let's take this outside, though. I can't do this with bystanders around."

"Sure, you coward, buy yourself time."

Pearl gave him a solid punch to the shoulder as he passed him to leave the armory, both of them ignoring the sigh of relief from the shopkeeper. 

 

Silver restrained a grumble as Pearl led them all the way out of town, hand never leaving the handle of his sword. When Pearl finally deemed them far enough from passerby, he turned to face him, drawing his own sword in the same motion. Silver quickly moved to retrieve his own blade, struggling to pull its full length over his shoulder.

"Come on, you have to be ready to fight at a moment's notice! Maybe you don't know it from sneaking around all the time, but around here, if you lock eyes with someone who’s armed, you fight." 

Silver's arms bowed under the unfamiliar weight of his weapon, and he bristled under Pearl's raised eyebrow. 

"You'll regret going easy on me!" he started his charge, and Pearl's eyes widened with surprise. Silver's confident sneer broke as their blades clashed, the momentum almost vaulting Silver over both swords. 

"I'm sorry, were you trying to overpower me?" Pearl flung Silver's blade away, and he stumbled back with its weight. "You don't have any marks in that class yet, do you really think you can beat me in head-on fight?"

"You watch me!" He stepped forward and swung down again, Pearl moving his large blade to block him with ease. This time, Pearl charged forward, knocking Silver to the ground as he moved a hand to his blade to keep it up. Pearl's sword pushed against his, driving his shoulders deeper into the snow, and Silver grit his teeth with the effort of holding him off as he elbows began to meet the snow as well, the steel of his blade pressing against his nose as he was forced back. 

"You give?" Pearl was grinning down at him, and Silver would've given anything to keep fighting, but the situation was obviously hopeless, and Pearl didn't wait for him to give before lifting the weight of his blade.  
Silver slapped away the hand offered to him like it was an insult, despite his trembling limbs refusing to support him after the effort of fending off Pearl's blade. Pearl shook his head with a disbelieving smile, and Silver bared his teeth as he felt Pearl see through him once again.  
"What were you thinking? You're a thief!"

Silver glared him down from the ground, the burn of snow on his skin only making the heat in his cheeks more obvious to him as Pearl laughed down on him.

"I'm not a thief- I'm a warrior!" 

"Not yet you aren't!" Pearl's face adopted what Silver was quickly learning was his 'lecture face'. "You don't have any experience as a warrior yet, so you might as well still be a thief- and that means that if you want to be any good, you'll have to rely on what you have." He pointed an accusing finger down at him, and Silver began to scramble back to get away from his domineering gaze, stopping only to drag his sword out of the snow. "Also, you'll have to get your strength up if you want to use that sword."

Silver pushed himself up with the length of his sword, snow falling from his shoulders as he pulled himself equal with his opponent. "So am I using what I have, or am I getting stronger!?"

"Both! Even if you get strong enough to wield that sword properly, you'll be a long way from beating anyone in a battle of strength!"  
Silver's muscles tensed with anger, so that the sight of Pearl taking a fighting stance was refreshing despite how his arms still shook with fatigue and adrenaline from their last match.  
"Alright! I want you to come at me again, but this time I want you to use your speed!" Silver frowned at him, even as he almost stumbled as his arms bowed again under his sword's still unfamiliar weight. Pearl shot the sight a rare scowl, lifting his sword a little higher. "I don't want to see you charging me head-on; try it, and I'll throw you on your butt again, got it!?" He moved one hand away from his blade's hilt to pound it against his armor's breastplate. "My equipment is way heavier than yours- if you can't manage to land a hit on me, you're not good enough for my guild, got it?!"  
Silver nodded, and without another second's hesitation, he charged. Shock showed on Pearl's features for a second before he braced his sword up, and this time Silver dodged to the side as he moved to dive behind him. With the added weight, he had more momentum than he expected, snow flying as he struggled to change direction, and Pearl's sword came at him with more speed and range than he anticipated, sending him sumersaulting as it knocked him away. Silver's head reeled as Pearl turned to face him, sword still braced defensively as he waited for Silver to pick himself out of the snow and get back on his feet.

"You came at me with a knife before, remember? You should be able to get around my range!"  
Silver grit his teeth at Pearl's taunt, arms screaming with complaint as he raised his blade again. His frustration was mounting as he struggled to keep its tip aloft, Pearl's earlier comment echoing in his ears.  
Pearl seemed to notice him falter, a small smile sliding onto his face.  
"You wanna replace the blade and try again?"

"No!" He charged again, and this time Pearl didn't wait for him, turning his blade toward him as he stepped forward. Silver quickly swerved out of the way, starting to run along the length of the blade when Pearl moved it into his side, shoving him aside as he lost his balance and fell rolling back into the snow. 

"Just tell me if you need me to heal you! Unless you're giving up?" 

"Shut. Up!" Silver pulled himself out of the snow, not bothering to drag his sword out. "I never asked you to train me, I challenged you to a fight!"

"And you lost, soundly. You're not worth a rematch." Pearl's stance didn't relax as he stared him down, hold steady. "And if you can't do this, then you're not worth my time, either. I told you I won't accept just anyone, didn't I?"

"But- the armor-" Silver's mind was desperately trying to remember the gratitude he'd seen in Pearl's eyes when he'd asked to join, a warmth that seemed hopelessly distant compared to the cold blade in front of him. 

"Consider it charity." He took a step forward, and Silver scrambled back to get out of his sword's range, eyes widening as he remembered his forgotten sword still buried in the snow in front of him. "You don't know the strength of the person I'm trying to catch up to! I can't afford to wait around here!" Pearl lifted his blade, pausing in preparation to swing down, and Silver quickly rolled under it, hand darting out for his sword's handle as he stopped just in front of Pearl. Fierce golden eyes looked down at him, and without looking away Silver pulled his blade out of the snow, raising it so the tip stopped just under Pearl's chin, the edge scraping against the length of his breastplate.  
Pearl stopped, and Silver's heaving breaths clouded his vision as he looked up at his face.

Pearl's stance relaxed as he took a step back, Silver's sword falling uselessly back to the ground as Pearl slipped his own back behind his shoulder. Silver felt his whole body shaking with a potent mixture of cold, adrenaline, and fatigue, and when he looked wearily up at Pearl, his smile had returned, the cold ferocity of his previous expression evaporated like the breath in front of his face. 

"Good job. Now, are you hurt anywhere?" 

 

Pearl laughed with the armory keeper as Silver traded his sword in for a one-handed blade, dully taking the resulting coin before the two left for the tavern, Pearl loudly proclaiming how he'd worked up an appetite. Silver didn't want to do anything more than sleep- he felt pathetic, even if he had somehow passed Pearl's challenge. He couldn't remember ever feeling so powerless, and it made him wonder if he'd ever faced any of his enemies head-on before, if he'd really only struck from the shadows, never giving them the chance to retaliate. 

Silver kept his face level with the floor as Pearl called for food, taking a hearty chug of his drink before turning to his companion. 

"So, maybe you gathered something from our session today, but are you ready for me to tell you more about the Warrior class?"  
Silver looked up at him dazedly before giving him a nod, and Pearl seemed to ignore his low energy as he leaned across the table, his face once again taking on it's pre-lecture expression.  
"Warriors are hard-hitters. They stay in the front, in the thick of it, but they can't do much to defend themselves and're no good at support. In short-" his finger was up in the air again, gesturing to himself, "you're done for without someone like me to watch your back, and to get you on your feet when you inevitably fall." His face curled into a grin, pointer finger darting in his direction. "A talent you displayed excellently today."  
Silver gave him a low growl, too beaten down to retort with anything stronger, and Pearl continued without pause.  
"What matters is that if you can hit them before they hit you, you don't have to worry about them anymore." He broke into a smile again, but this time without its note of teasing as he continued. "And in that sense, I think you have the makings of a good warrior. You already have the speed to get a hit in, and once you gain the strength to do damage, you're stubborn and reckless enough to make the most of it." Laughter lit up in his eyes again as he reached for his glass, a chuckle falling from his lips. "I still can't believe you were dumb enough to actually charge me! You're not much of a warrior, but you sure do think like one, that's for sure!"

Silver glared at him, and was thankful when the waitress brought the food over and gave Pearl a reason to shut up for a while. Silver couldn't stave him off himself- he was no good at conversing, and even worse when he was in a bad mood. Eventually Pearl looked up at him with the light of another topic in his eyes, and Silver watched him with a low gaze as he swallowed his mouthful of food to start it. 

"Anyway! Paladins, on the other hand, are good at everything." Silver already felt himself rolling his eyes as Pearl took another chug of his drink before continuing. "We're good on attack, defense, and healing- if it weren't for the alignment issue, I don't think there's a warrior around who wouldn't wish he were a paladin!" Silver grumbled through his mouthful of food, stomach churning at the thought of goody-goody knighthood. Pearl put down his glass, and his tone became serious again, catching Silver's waning attention. "Being a paladin means learning discipline- sticking to a strict moral code in exchange for strength, and I took that on so that I could survive on my own, so that I could get stronger." He attention visually shifted from himself to Silver, and Silver felt himself straighten in response. "Yours is the same thing. If you want to get stronger, you're going to have to learn to depend on me."

Silver swallowed, feeling the expectation of a response sink in like the food down his throat. He met Pearl's gaze, steeling his voice. 

"Fine- I'm weak." Pearl watched him, and Silver slowly nodded to himself, swallowing his ego. "Even so, I'm not giving up. If I need to learn to fight with you in order to fight by myself, then so be it. I want to get stronger." 

Pearl gave him a long look, as if testing his resolve, before finally breaking into a grin again. 

"That's the spirit!" He took another stab of his meal, holding it up in place of his pointer finger. "Since it'll just be the two of us, I won't be far, but you'll be leading the charge from now on! It'll only distract you if you worry about me, so you just wreck everyone, and I'll make sure no one stabs you in the back while you're at it!"

"Ugh- as if I'd ever stop to worry about you!" 

Pearl laughed, and the tavern was full of similar banter as they talked quests and future plans over the remainder of their meal. 

 

The plan was simultaneous strength and experience boosting. Pearl had him doing stupid exercises that Silver doubted actually did anything useful while the fool ran off doing his own training, and by midday when Silver was itching to use his sword, they went on quests, practicing their "team dynamic", though it mostly consisted of the two bashing heads, each other's and otherwise.  
Though Silver wouldn't admit it, it was exhausting. They'd go out immediately after a half day's worth of training, and more than once fatigue made Silver falter during battle, forcing Pearl to come to his rescue. The quests they took on were obviously under Pearl's level, and the maddening feeling of inferiority combined with the clumsy mistakes he knew he could've avoided had he been at full strength frustrated him to no end. 

The people running the tavern in town had began to grow familiar with them through their completion of local tasks and their daily arguing at the lunchtime table after their first round of quests was over, and one barlady told them straight out that they were a terrible team- because Pearl stubbornly pushed Silver past the limits of his own skill level, and because Silver was too stubborn to admit when those limits had been reached.

Pearl only laughed, pointing an accusing thumb at his partner. 

"This guy has no limits! He tried to rob me with two broken ribs- if he's stubborn enough to fight in that condition, then he can fight after a few hours of strength-training!"

Nonetheless, as the days went on, Pearl's breakneck pace became unbearable, and frustration overtook his ego as Silver began to complain.  
Pearl wouldn't hear any of it, and the quests they took on only increased in difficulty, but as Silver wasn't willing to admit that he couldn't handle as much action as Pearl could, he couldn't do much more than grumble.

As they worked, word of the nefarious Rocket Guild became increasingly common, each rumor causing Silver to tense. Silver may have caught Pearl casting him a knowing glance, but he didn't react any more than that, simply continuing their set schedule without concern as word suggested the infamous thieves' guild was drawing steadily closer. 

 

"Do you want to move on to the next town?" 

Pearl asked the question casually, not even looking at Silver as he sipped some of his drink, the other still breathing hard with exertion from their latest quest.  
"This town's running out of work, but more importantly," his eyes shifted to meet Silver's, piercing gold holding him at attention. "... Everyone's begun to know us here." Silver held back his reaction, and after a moment of watching him, Pearl continued. "Everything's been under my name, since I'm guild leader, but that doesn't make you a stranger. Not that I expect you could've done anything to get the whole thieves' guild after you..." He stopped to watch Silver again, and this time he couldn't disguise some of his tension. 

".... I'm not running away." 

Pearl sighed, his tone heavy with the words _'what did I get myself into?'_

"Spoken like a real warrior. In that case," he took a large bite of his food, as if he suddenly needed the energy, "we don't know when they'll arrive, so you need to be ready to go at any time, not just when you're in top shape." Silver's eyes widened with understanding, and he started into his food as well. "We go out again right after this, okay?"  
Silver only nodded, unable to answer through his food. 

 

Even though they had no way of knowing when Rocket would arrive, it was obvious when they were close. The whole town was frozen with tension- the usual easygoing atmosphere in shambles as everyone seemed ready to bolt for their homes at a moment's notice. 

Silver couldn't keep the tension out of his own muscles, the repetivity of the morning's training only giving him time to fret as he waited for Pearl to return from whatever he did in the mornings so they could regroup.

When they finally did, Pearl only cast a glance around the town before shaking his head.  
"We aren't taking any quests today." He put his hand on the hilt of his sword, tossing Silver a smile despite the weight in his tone. "Let's spar. I want to see how we compare now."

 

Once again Pearl led Silver away from the village, the surrounding woodlands warmer and more green then when they'd first clashed blades there, occasionally looking around before finally settling on a clearing some ways away. 

"Alright, Silver, show me what you've got!" 

He drew his sword, with the same solid and intimidating posture as before, and while Silver still longed for the image of overwhelming strength, his short blade felt far more balanced in his grip, his movements more sure and less frustrating.  
As he primed himself for battle, a rustle of undergrowth caught his eye, and he quickly rolled out of range just as a thief lunged towards him, knife stretched towards him. 

Across the clearing, a clash of metal rang out as two more went for Pearl, one bouncing off his shield as the other’s blade met Pearl’s sword, both quickly jumping out of its range. 

“.... You knew they were here?”

“I wasn’t doing nothing all morning.”

“... Figures you’d want to draw them out outside of town.” Silver felt Pearl brush against him as they now stood back to back, Silver taking in the scene around them.

“There’s far more of us than you- you should just go back quietly, Rocket hier...”

Silver grit his teeth, ignoring the feeling of Pearl tensing behind him.

“Figures you’d bring a whole pack. Weaklings- I can take any number of you!”

“Let’s do this, Silver!”

“No!” he let himself turn away for a moment to glare at Pearl. “This is my business- stay out if it.”

“They gave you two broken ribs last time.”  
It didn’t matter that Silver had never told him where they came from. Explanations were unnecessary, and there was no time, anyway, as Silver turned back to glare down his opponents. 

“I’m stronger than I was then. I’m doing this alone.” 

“....Alright. I respect your decision.” 

The feeling of Pearl at his back left as he stepped away, and Silver felt the two who had been flanking Pearl step forward to close in on him as another rustle of undergrowth told him Pearl had stepped out of the clearing completely. Raising his weapon, Silver charged forward, remembering Pearl’s words, _‘What matters is that if you can hit them before they hit you, you don't have to worry about them anymore’_.

They were quick, but unused to fighting in the open, and Silver managed to get the first between the neck and shoulder, following through to force them to the ground before bringing his sword up to block against one of the two behind him in one swift motion. The other came at him from the side, and Silver quickly used the strength he’d gained to throw away the one he was dealing with to strike under the third’s knife, his longer range allowing him to stab into the other’s ribs long before the small knife could reach him. They stumbled back, and Silver started to turn to the one he had pushed back when a new movement caught his eye, and he quickly jumped back to avoid a new thief as he entered the fray. The two moved in together, and Silver swiped out with his foot to stall their advance, the brief second they were both startled enough for him to pick one and strike. He quickly turned to face the last, but his opponent didn’t move forward to strike- instead, Silver felt a sharp stab between his shoulder blades, followed by a kick that sent him stumbling forward. As he tried to regain his balance, the first thief he’d felled kicked out and tripped him. Yet another thief came out of the undergrowth as he fell, and the three still standing moved over him as he fell over the body of his first opponent. 

“Last chance to come back nice and easy.”

A kick landed in his side, and another foot landed in the center of his chest, holding him to the ground even as he tried to push himself with one arm. His efforts proven futile, he grabbed at the foot on his chest instead, trying to maneuver his sword into the leg, but before he could wield it in the closed space, the foot moved out of his grip to kick him in the jaw. Silver grit his teeth as he tried to use the chance to get up, but he was quickly pushed down again one of the thieves stomped down hard on his spare arm. 

“I’m. Not. One. Of. You!”

Silver thrust his sword up at the heads hovering over him, and they easily dodged, one stabbing into his elbow so dropped his sword with a cry. Instantly he knew the knife had been laced with something, the familiar burn quickly spreading through his veins as the three crowded closer, blacking out his field of vision.  
As his sight began to blur, he watched as the three faces looming over him suddenly moved, like a sudden wind had knocked over his assailants, and the light of the sky behind them blinded him- a brief moment of light before his consciousness faded. 

 

“...r? ....-ver? ...Silver, are you awake?”

It took a moment for him to make out Pearl’s voice, and after that his face above him, the space around him resembling the walls of the town inn. He tried to respond, but all he could muster was a groan.  
“Damn it, looks like it’s not all out of your system yet.” Pearl’s bright eyes were wide with worry, his thin form unfamiliar without his armor. “As soon as you can speak, I’ll run diagnostics. I’m sorry you have to wake up to your injuries, but I can’t start healing you until I’ve checked everything over and had you confirm.”  
Silver nodded dumbly, trying to recollect his thoughts.

He’d lost. How many had he seen- four, five? He couldn’t have fallen to such a small number- not to them. He tried to remember what had happened, recalling the light he’d seen at the end.  
Pearl had saved him. Again. He’d said that he’d handle it himself, and Pearl had needed to jump in anyway.  
He looked up at Pearl, studying what he could see for any sign of injury.

“What… About you?” 

Pearl smiled at the sound of his voice, his expression strained despite his relief.

“I already healed myself. Don’t worry, I didn’t have an easy time of it either!” 

The comment burned like bile in his stomach, the thought of Pearl getting hurt because of his problems unexpectedly frustrating.

“.... How many?”

“Huh? Oh, of course you care about that.” He laughed a bit, but it had a familiar tone- an edge of sadness. “Not many more than what you saw- you took out most of them. Apparently they didn’t feel like sending the entire guild after you, or at least, they didn’t think they’d need it.” Silver looked down at his chest as Pearl laid his hands on him. “I’m going to start diagnostics now.”

He didn’t wince this time- Silver’s eyes raced up to watch him, and Pearl only grit his teeth as his expression filled with strain. He stayed like that for what felt far longer than necessary, body rigid and tense even as the green glow around his hands finally started to dull. Pearl released a breath, pain not leaving his features, and Silver felt a familiar anger bubble up in him.

“Why? Why do you do this?! It’s not any of your business- I haven’t done anything for you!” 

Pearl pushed him back onto the bed, letting out another tense breath.

“When I agreed to let you fight alone, I was prepared to heal any wounds you received.” His hands began to glow again, pale blue, and the numbing warmth only served to sustain the heat of anger in Silver's chest. “It’s still… It’s still new to me too, this kind of thing. I was going crazy waiting for you to wake up- I’m no cleric, I just had to hope what they gave you wasn’t poison since they seemed to want you alive.” Pearl’s hands on his chest trembled, and his fingers lifted and curled, as if to steady them. “Up until now, I’ve only had to heal myself. I don’t need diagnostics for that, I can feel my own injuries fine… But you know, it kind of feels good.” Pearl tried to smile, but the tension from his face still hadn’t receded completely, and the sadness in his expression only deepened as he continued. “I wasn’t given these powers just to serve myself- even if it's why I took it up, a paladin isn’t meant to be independent. So, I really don’t mind doing this. I want to do my duty as a paladin.” The glow in his hands slowly faded, and he sat back on his legs, looking down at Silver as the fake smile on his face finally fell away. “But you know, it’ll mean less pain for both of us if you’d let me fight alongside you. That’s my job as a paladin, too.” 

Silver stared back at him, anger receding as he looked into the soft gold of his eyes.

“I’m… Sorry. For everything.”

Pearl shook his head, weak smile returning.

“It’s nothing. You gained some valuable experience.” 

His mind still slow with the exhaustion of pain relief, Silver let out a sigh before letting his head fall back against the pillow, eyes pointed towards the ceiling.

“...I’ve been thinking, too.” When Silver spoke, Pearl didn’t say anything, and Silver didn’t move to check if he nodded. “... If you discovered you’d taken my knife by accident, wouldn’t you be morally obliged to return it?”

There was a pause, and when Pearl answered, Silver could hear the smile in his voice without looking.

“Yeah, if you hadn’t chased me down first to get it back.”

“... You were never going to let me go, were you?”

The familiar sound of Pearl’s laugh filled his ears, and for the first time, Silver let himself smile at the sound. 

“I told you, if I’m going to be stuck with anyone, it’ll be because it was decided by fate!”

“Peh, some fate...” His eyelids felt heavy again, and he hardly noticed as the bed shifted beside him.

“I like the way you did it better though.”

“You’re…. an idiot.” He fell back into the numbing warmth of sleep, faintly seeing Pearl smile that blindingly warm smile down at him before lying down beside him, his light chuckle echoing into his dreams as he closed his eyes again.

**Author's Note:**

> Since I will never write everything I've imagined for this au, have some random facts: 
> 
> -After this, Pearl makes the goal of their guild to take down the Rocket Guild. Silver tries to stop him since "this is my problem to deal with", but Pearl insists that he's morally obliged to stop evil when he sees it. (Silver tries not to think about what that makes him, considering Pearl heard them call him the Rocket hier.... but that's a confession for another day.)
> 
> -The person Pearl is trying to compete with is Diamond- he's a ranger, and has a guild full of animals he's tamed (a pokemon trainer to the end. Pearl tries to charge him for cheating) as well as Dawn, a druid (who can transform into an animal, making it hard to tell at first that there any other human members). 
> 
> -Palmer is some famously powerful person who tests the strength of all kinds of warriors in a far off land, and one of the reasons Pearl set off and has been trying to gain strength is to one day challenge him and gain his recognition, and maybe force him to come home.  
> (-Gotta love that mutual father-angst that binds these two together.)
> 
> -I don't know where Gold is or if he has any role to play in Silver's story- as it is, this all seems to take place before they meet. Maybe he'd be their next guild member? (My characterisation of Gold tends to be way off from others' though so we're not going to think about this.)
> 
> -The reason Silver and Pearl are on the same bed at the end is because Pearl wasn't thinking very hard when he brought Silver back to the inn to heal him (he's used to asking for a room for one).  
> (-Unless you want to assume something else. That's okay too.)  
> (-Shouldn't any self-respecting inn heal all wounds and status effects? Maybe for a cost- but Pearl's a cheapscape and if he can do it himself for free, he's gonna. This is another possible reason for the single-bed room.)
> 
> I'm sorry for making Pearl so cool in this fic and neglecting to have him run into anyone through its entire seven-thousand word run. I also put him in my favorite rpg class so this was all very self-indulgent, but I hope you enjoyed the adventure I weaved together anyway!


End file.
